Experience the captivating character of the AJ Oxford Table Lamp and its excellent atmospheric lighting, when Louis Poulsen reintroduces this timeless design classic in spring 2023. Originally designed for St. Catherine’s College in Oxford, England in the early 1960s, the AJ Oxford Table Lamp remains as engaging as ever.
The AJ Oxford Table Lamp is part of the total work of art of the modernist and highly praised St. Catherine’s College, situated east of central Oxford. Here, Arne Jacobsen succeeded in combining contemporary building materials, such as brick, concrete and glass with a traditional Oxford college layout, centring on a quadrangle.
St. Catherine’s College was inaugurated in 1964 and is considered to be one of Jacobsen’s masterpieces. As a gesamtkunstwerk (complete work of art), Arne Jacobsen designed most of the interior as well, continuing the geometric lines into details such as the cutlery and the AJ Oxford fixtures, that are found in the college’s impressive dining hall.
Jacobsen also planned the college gardens, even deciding which species of fish should live in the pond. In 2020, the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England upgraded the gardens to the highest level of protection.
Arne Jacobsen designed the AJ Oxford fixture as a table pin lamp for the long rows of oak tables in the dining hall. The clerestory windows, which let in natural daylight, are complemented by lighting from the AJ Eklipta Wall Lamps, as well as rows of AJ Oxford Table pin lamps with their original brown painted metal shade and frame, which are all there to this day.
St. Catherine’s College is still in use for teaching and student accommodation, and during university holidays, it serves as a Bed & Breakfast, which members of the public can visit to enjoy the architecture and design of Arne Jacobsen.
Jacobsen created more than one variant of the AJ Oxford. Between 1964-66, he designed a classic table version, as well as a pendant version of the AJ Oxford. The AJ Oxford Table Lamp is reintroduced in two sizes and a monochrome colour palette in the Spring of 2023. The AJ Oxford Table Lamp stays true to Jacobsen’s original design with its sleek, graphic expression, emphasising the balance between the elegant stem and the sculptural shade. With this fixture, form follows function in a playful manner, where the stem seamlessly blends into the base, with the cord continuing the visual line.
The two sizes of the AJ Oxford Table Lamp make the fixture fit perfectly almost anywhere at home, whether placed in the windowsill, on a bookshelf, on the desk in the home office or even on the bedside table.
Both sizes are available with or without the top metal shade and have the original brass on/off ‘union nut’ button and finger screw to fasten the glass. The taller size also comes in a pin mounting version without the top metal shade, just like the original from the St. Catherine’s College, making it highly suitable for libraries, hotel rooms, reception areas, restaurants, meeting rooms, and any space that would profit from excellent atmospheric lighting combined with the character and charm of its timeless design.
The AJ Oxford Table Lamp will be available in stores from spring 2023.
About Arne Jacobsen
Arne Jacobsen was born and raised in Copenhagen. In 1927, he graduated as an architect from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. After graduating, he obtained his first job at the office of the City Architect of Copenhagen and founded his own office only two years later. Arne Jacobsen is a world famous Danish modernistic architect. His buildings are numerous in Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Among his more famous projects are the National Bank in Copenhagen (1971), SAS Royal Hotel & Terminal, Copenhagen (1960), and St. Catherine’s College in Oxford, UK (1963). It is said that his fear of flying prohibited him from making a full impact on the American architectural environment. As an architect, Arne Jacobsen had very strong decision-making skills, making it possible for him to influence not only the design of the building itself, but also the majority of the details. Over the years, he ventured into various fields related to his work, such as light fixtures, furniture, cutlery, door handles, sanitary fixtures, fabrics, and wallpaper patterns. "The Egg" and "The Swan" are two famous chairs designed by Jacobsen. During Arne Jacobsen’s lifetime, he received several prestigious awards both in Denmark and abroad. He served as a professor at the Royal Danish Academy for 11 years and through that he influenced an entire generation of Danish Architects. They each eventually developed their own architectural language, built upon the same rationalistic and minimalist approach toward architecture.
About Louis Poulsen
Established in 1874, the original house of light Louis Poulsen creates iconic products that provide exceptional light. Honouring the Danish design tradition, Louis Poulsen designs are based on the principle that form follows function. Working in close collaboration with prominent designers like Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton, Vilhelm Lauritzen, Øivind Slaatto, Olafur Eliasson, Oki Sato and Anne Boysen, Louis Poulsen continues to build on their legacy of creating luxury lighting, with the help of passionate craftmanship, quality materials and innovative designs. Louis Poulsen has established itself as a leading global architectural and decorative lighting brand and has a global presence with showrooms in Copenhagen, Miami, Oslo, Tokyo, Singapore and Dusseldorf.